Eddie Izzard to Guest Star on Hannibal

Fresh off his first teaming with showrunner Bryan Fuller on “Mockingbird Lane,” Eddie Izzard is set to guest star on the upcoming NBC series “Hannibal,” EW reports. He’ll play a cellmate of Hannibal Lecter’s opposite a cast that includes Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy and Laurence Fishburne.

The show, which is expected to premiere sometime in 2013, is officially described as follows:

One of the most fascinating literary characters comes to life on television for the first time: psychiatrist-turned-serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. In this new drama from Bryan Fuller (“Pushing Daisies,” “Heroes”), based on the characters from Thomas Harris’ classic novels, we see where this incredible story began.

Will Graham is a gifted criminal profiler who is on the hunt for a serial killer with the FBI. Graham’s unique way of thinking gives him the astonishing ability to empathize with anyone – even psychopaths. He seems to know what makes them tick. But when the mind of the twisted killer he’s pursuing is too complicated for even Will to comprehend, he enlists the help of Dr. Lecter, one of the premier psychiatric minds in the country. Armed with the uncanny expertise of the brilliant doctor, Will and Hannibal (known as a serial killer only to the audience) form a brilliant partnership and it seems there’s no villain they can’t catch. If Will only knew…

Izzard is best known for his stand-up comedy and has appeared in recent films like Cars 2 and The Other Side.